The Crescendo of Emotion
by SheepyTheSheep
Summary: An alternate take on Your Lie in April. Kaori was a sickly girl. Ever since she was small all she knew was the violin and her homeschooling. However, a few months before April, she undergoes a procedure that cures her of her ailment. Now that she can finally rejoin society how will she react to a Kousei that lives with his still live mother? I suck at summaries. Give it a read? :(
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DO NOT OWN YOUR LIE IN APRIL. THANK YOU. A brief overview on this, Kaori is cured of her illness earlier. She has never met not heard of Kousei. Her violin background will be touched on in later chapters. She was homeschooled and thus this is her first time to enter school. Kousei still plays the piano due to the fact that his mother is still sick but alive. However, he still has problems that will also be elaborated in later chapters. Pardon if some lines feel OOC. I haven't watched the show recently and this idea came on as spur of the moment and whatnot. As always, feedback is appreciated. I hope to update this in 1-2 days time. Thank you and enjoy. :D**

He glanced over the sheet music again. I soft rustle could be heard as he started leafing through the pages of his latest piece. He couldn't remember how it was to play the piano with emotion. All he knew was the sheet music. He was ruled by it; moulded by it. Rarely did he ever deviate from the norm. He was Kousei Arima: The Human Metronome.

Preparing himself mentally, he starts playing through Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. The first movement complimented the night-time cityscape outside his window. Methodically he goes through the notes with practiced ease. He wonders what time it was but immediately clears his mind. To play the piano, he needed focus. A focus his constant beatings instilled into his bruised arms and soul. With a flourish, he regains his composure. Steadying his hands, he begins to grace his surroundings with the music of the moonlight.

It is just after midnight that he feels light-headed. He's been at the piano for hours; only the fear of his mother's beatings kept him from resting. After a few more tries at the sonata's third movement did he eventually succumb to his fatigue. Slumping down to the floor in the most ungraceful fashion possible, Kousei Arima dreams of a world with colour; anything at all to save him from the monotonous life he lives.

* * *

Kaori Miyazono is a happy girl. A very happy girl indeed. It had been months since her operation. The debilitating illness that would have rendered her unable to play the violin and possibly kill her, was gone. Like a phoenix she felt reborn. It was as if life had finally given her a second chance. I chance to finally live her life to the fullest. Before, she had to struggle whether she would live to see the day after next. Now she had all the time in the world and it made her happy. She was constantly trying new things. Gone were her glasses, and instead she used the contacts she had always wanted to try out. Her hair, which were held in two pigtails before, now fell down in golden tresses that would have made other girls jealous. She did not have a reason to make herself appealing before. Death seemed an effective deterrent for anything she wanted to try. However, now, she was free.

It was finally the start of a new semester. Considering it was the month of April, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The petals rained down during her morning walk, extracting a smile from Kaori. Today was the start of a new day. Her first day in fact, at proper schooling. She had always been home-schooled; confined to a world of monotony due to her illness. Now she would be trying something new. The go-ahead came and she was given the 'ok' to attend a real school. Finally, she would be able to experience what a real school was like. Skipping merrily towards the campus she couldn't help but feel nervous and elated at what would transpire. All she had brought were a few books and her violin. She figured that if friends did not come easily then she would resort to playing her instrument during breaks. With renewed vigour, she made her way past the doors to start her first day of school.

The thing about admiring your beautiful walk to school was that it made you unaware of the time. The deserted entrance hall with the shoe lockers should have tipped her off earlier, but in her merry daze, she was caught unaware. Kaori soon realized that she had a measly two minutes to find and get to her classroom. She had effectively missed the opening ceremonies a few days prior but it wasn't that important. What was important was that she was due for class today and she was hopelessly late and lost. Only a few stragglers remained in the hallways and it seemed like she would be late for her introduction. Running past a group of younger students in the hallway, she didn't see the person emerging from the room ahead of her.

* * *

Kousei couldn't remember a time when he wasn't late for class. The piano seemed to occupy his time more often than not. Despite his stellar grades that he managed to pull off, he mostly kept to himself while in school. People knew to avoid him whenever possible since he refused any form of conversation outside of his immediate social circle. Said circle consisted of only his childhood friend Tsubaki and the annoying soccer player Watari. How they managed to get along with him, he never would figure out. However, their presence kept him sane and that was all that mattered. That particular morning he had managed to clock out a few measures of Chopin's Andante spianato in G before deciding that he needed to get to class. As he was calmly exiting the music room, he wasn't prepared to be bulldozed by a blonde demon hell bent on sprinting through the hallways.

"Oof!" said the blonde mass of hair that lay on his chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing running around this early in the morning!?" Kousei countered, somewhat annoyed at the girl (for indeed it was a girl, unless wigs decided that they preferred attaching skirts to themselves).

"You we're in the way idiot!"

"Was not!"

"WAS TOO!"

He didn't know why kept up with the verbal sparring but something told him not to let up.

"If your head wasn't in the clouds then you wouldn't have come in the way of a beauty like myself." She said haughtily as she stood up and began dusting herself. He couldn't believe this woman. First she tries to turn him into roadkill and now she passes him off as the instigator of their little collision? Dusting himself off, he glared at her.

"I'd rather my head stay in the clouds than endure another moment with you." he declared icily.

Since Kousei had noticed that they were attracting attention from the classrooms he decided to leave it at that and turned to walk away. However, the blonde demon wasn't done with him. Not by a long shot. As quickly as he had turned away he felt a hand grasp his wrist. Surprised he immediately turned to face her and was greeted with a smile. Narrowing his eyes at her sudden change in attitude he carefully asked what she wanted.

"I don't know where classroom 3-B is." She said while rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

He couldn't believe it. The nerve of this woman. Without giving her any indication of his intentions he grasped her hand and started tugging her towards 3-B.

"Where are you taking me? Let go of me! Are you a closet pervert? Should I fear for my chastity?!"

On and on droned her exclamations and it took everything in him not to stab himself with a broom right then and there. Sliding open 3-B's door he hurriedly shoved her into the classroom. The voice of his very annoying homeroom teacher greeted them both.

"Ah, Ms. Miyazono, how good it is of you to finally join us. I must thank you for taking the time out of your first day here to drag Mr. Arima along with you. He rarely gifts us with his presence so early in the morning."

She looked dumbfounded at not being scolded after she was late but Kousei just ignored the homeroom teacher altogether. He had his fair share of sermons already. He just wanted to get this day over with.

"If you would sit down now Mr. Arima, we can get to the introductions."

Seating himself near the back next to the window he decided to tune everything out. He just wanted to sleep the day away. However, his ruminations were interrupted by an annoying jab to his ribs.

"PSSST. Kousei, who's the babe?" grinned Watari. Trying to put on the most exasperated face he could muster, he faced one of his best friends.

"I don't know." Was his simple answer. He didn't want to have anything to do with the bulldozer that ran him over. "Don't be like that man." Said Watari with a pleading face. "You always get the cute girls' attention. Why don't you send some my way for once?" continued his friend.

"Watari, the only thing I will send your way is an observation. One Tsubaki worded so well. You – Ryouta Watari – are a walking hard-on." Observing the snickers that erupted from the seats near them, Watari couldn't help but laugh himself at such a light hearted statement coming from Kousei. While Watari pondered his best friend's sudden outburst, Kousei turned back towards the window. The sky was blue he observed; so wide and vast. The sky was an endless expanse of possibility. His friends were like the birds of the sky. Flying freely; without any qualms with the world. How he longed to be able to abandon everything and be as carefree as Watari and Tsubaki. Both of them got along with others so easily. Right now Watari was laughing along with his other classmates at what he had just called him. He envied them and pitied himself. He wanted to be free. Trying his best, he willed the sky to remain blue for once. He willed it to be the sparkling expanse he imagined it to be. However, try as he might, all he could see was grey.


	2. Chapter 2

**So here it is. The second chapter. I tried to give some background for both Kousei and Kaori. As I earlier claimed, Saki Arima is still alive. The little snippet on Kousei's past in this chapter explains his troubled past. I'm still trying to remain true to some aspects of the anime; particularly Kousei being out of the competitive scene. I tried focusing on giving more development for both Kousei and Kaori's characters here. This is also the set-up for the very first time Kousei witnesses Kaori perform. Once again, thanks for reading and feedback would be much appreciated. Enjoy. :D DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN 'YOUR LIE IN APRIL.'**

The day slowly wound down and Kaori couldn't help but feel restless. She was exasperated with the fact that she hadn't made any progress in the friend department. Aside from her early morning debacle with Kousei, her interactions with others were very few and far between. It seemed that most of the students didn't know how to approach her. For example, majority of the male population of Sumitani Junior High School rarely approached her. Most were content to just take in her appearance. Only a few tried striking up conversation and they were usually along the lines of "would you go out with me?" To say she was frustrated was an understatement. She had hoped to immediately strike up a connection with any one of her classmates; however, it seemed like a distant dream now.

The girls were a whole new ball game. It was like they functioned in groups. Throughout the day she found herself subject of a few whispers here and there as she passed. All the talk was starting to bruise her ego. She needed to make friends.

As she was about to give up hope of ever conversing with anyone, she heard a crash. What followed was an intense pain that erupted at the side of her head. Momentarily, she saw stars. It felt like someone whacked her on the head with a baseball bat. She fell backwards in a daze. As she tried to recover from her stupor, she made out two blurry-looking figures standing over her. Faces hovering above her disoriented self.

"Looks like you clocked her good Tsubaki." Said blur number one.

"Do you think she'll remember her name?" said blur number two nervously.

What was with these blurs? She just got brained by an errant U.F.O. and all they did was hover over her. Trying to save a shred of her dignity, she started regaining some semblance of her motor skills. She shakily stood up and began to start trying to get both figures back into focus.

"HALLELUJAH! She's alive!" screamed blur number two. Glancing up, Kaori noticed a girl and a boy staring back at her.

"Hey! You're the girl that managed to drag Kousei to homeroom!" the boy exclaimed. Excitedly, he introduced himself. "I'm Watari, and this is Tsubaki." gesturing over to the girl next to him.

Before she could get a word out edgewise, the girl named Tsubaki immediately spoke up. Falling down prostrate before her, the girl began a long, apologetic monologue. While she did so, Watari spoke up.

"Don't mind her; she's just overly guilty towards people that are not Kousei. It's usually his brain cells that her slugs kill." With a grin he pulled Tsubaki to her feet. "Tsubaki, this is Miyazono Kaori: the new transfer student in my class." presenting Kaori with two outstretched hands.

"It's really nice to meet you Kaori-chan. I'm really sorry about the whole ball thing. You can call me Tsubaki. I'm on the baseball team. I hope to see you around. You should hang out with us and Kousei. Heaven knows that boy needs more friends." she said in a single, hurried exclamation. Without breaking stride she grinned and clapped Kaori on the back. Gesturing to Kaori as if to say 'see you around,' she proceeded to head towards the principal's office to report the broken hallway window. As Kaori tried to process the events that had transpired, Watari glanced back at her and tried starting up fresh conversation. "So Kaori-chan…" with a mischievous glint in his eye, he continued. "How exactly did you and Kousei meet?"

"I ran into him this morning because I was late for class." she replied sheepishly, "like I literally ran him over while running." And then out of the blue, Kousei turned up beside Watari. "I told you so knuckle-head." said the boy with glasses, while flicking Watari's forehead.

"How should I know that you were telling the truth? No one just runs into you. It's like you were set-up for some cliché anime." Watari fired back. At their interchange of words, Kaori finally managed to get a good look at Kousei Arima after his sudden appearance.

He was taller than her. His hair was a messy mop of black that was reminiscent of bed head. He wore rectangular shaped glasses that framed the most amazing pair of deep blue eyes she had ever seen. They reminded her of the ocean and of the sky. His body was not that remarkable, but he looked decent enough for a fourteen year-old. Skinny as he was, she observed that he also had very slender fingers. Curious.

However, it was his eyes that she returned her gaze to. She was transfixed. It took her a long moment before she realized that she was openly staring straight into his eyes and that Kousei was staring back at her intently; a questioning look adorning his face. Flustered, she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks at being caught staring. She wouldn't be surprised if even the tips of her ears were tinged pink as the heat crawled up from her neck. Like a deer caught in the headlights, she tried to form a coherent sentence to save herself from embarrassment.

"Um… uh… you have pretty eyes?" Oh my god. Did she just say that out loud? Of all the idiotic things she could have said she chose to compliment his eyes. Silently she implored all the gods to just smite her then and there. Her face was beginning to turn into a nice shade of scarlet before she could help it. She heard Watari scoff to her side, but all her attention was on Kousei. The boy had yet to say anything.

"Uh..Thank you? I guess?" he replied. How had they gone from having a morning shouting match to exchanging pleasantries; albeit very questionable pleasantries on her part. Kousei was also not faring that well. He looked like he was locked into a perpetual state of shock. It was like it was the first time he had ever heard that from anyone. To anyone observing, it looked like she and Kousei were floundering fish outside of the ocean. Both of them openly gaping each other and at what had transpired.

Kousei recovered first. He turned to his amused looking friend to distract himself from the awkward situation.

"I think I'll go now, Watari. You keep.. um.. socializing with Miyazono-san here."

With that, he abruptly turned on his heel and hastily fled the scene. Apparently he knew her name. Huh, go figure. Silently berating her rattled mind, she scolded her scattered thoughts. So what if he knew her name? It wasn't like he and she were in amicable terms, right? It was then that she remembered she was not alone. Freezing, she slowly turned towards a grinning Watari.

"Pretty eyes, huh?" he said, with a smug smile on his face. Horrified that she had actually said that out loud, she turned pink once again. Damn these teenage hormones. She was supposed to feel mortified, not flustered beyond all belief. What had possessed her to say that?

"Oh my god. I cannot believe I just said that." covering her eyes with both her hands. Watari just laughed and clapped her on the back.

"Kaori, welcome to the club! It looks like you'll fit in just fine with me and Tsubaki" he said, grinning.

And that was how she made her very first set of friends.

* * *

The days that followed her embarrassing proclamation was devoid of Kousei. She saw neither hide nor hair of the boy. The only time they were together was during class. At first she thought he was avoiding her, but Tsubaki and Watari assured her that Kousei liked to keep to his own devices. It was already Thursday; three days since she first attended school. It was on this day that Watari and Tsubaki finally asked her about her violin. As she ate lunch with Tsubaki and Watari, the question finally came up. "Kao-chan, do you play the violin?"

Mouth full of egg sandwich, Kaori could only nod in reply. Looking towards her violin case, she couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness overcome her. Her violin was her solid rock. Out of all the things she could do, playing the violin was her most treasured skill. While she had been sick at such a young age, she had given up on ever attaining a shred of normalcy in her life. It all changed when she attended a piano competition where a young boy had played a piece so full of emotion that she, herself was moved by it. Kaori could never remember the boy's name but all she knew was that she had never felt so alive in her life. Classical music soon shaped her life. She had taken to the violin quite well and it became her way of channelling her dreams and frustrations. Casting them from her mind, her playing became her mind's sanctuary. She had always harboured a fear that if she died, she would be forgotten. She had vowed, from the moment she started playing, that the violin would be her legacy; her spirit living on in the hearts of the people her music touched.

Thus Kaori played without any regard to regulations. She played with her heart and it always brought about such a powerful reaction in the audience. Despite the disapproving glares from various judges, Kaori would always stay true to her way of playing. She soon became notorious in the amateur scene; quickly becoming one of the anticipated participants in each competition she entered. When her illness developed, she was informed that she might never be able to play a violin again. At the statement, she had almost given up altogether. She was devastated. Hope seemed to abandon her and she lived in a shell of her former self. The surgery changed all that. Now she took on life with renewed vigour. Now the violin was her way of reaching out to people. It became her wordless message to all those who would abandon themselves to despair. As such, the violin held a very special place in her heart.

Smiling fondly at her violin, a thought came across her mind. Instead of answering Tsubaki's question, Kaori decided she wanted to show both of her friends that she could play.

"Tsubaki-chan, do you want to hear me play?" she asked sincerely. Her friend began nodding excitedly. "I have this amateur competition coming up this weekend. It would mean a lot to me if you and Watari came." Without hesitation, her friend answered her.

"We're friends Kao-chan. Of course we'll come."

* * *

Contrary to what Watari and Tsubaki said, Kousei really was actively avoiding Kaori since the eye-incident. What she had said seemed to bother him simply because he didn't know what to feel about it. Here he was, meeting this girl for the first time and he couldn't fathom how her statement affected him so. To one living a colourless and monotonous life such as him, Kaori was an enigma. Her personality greatly contrasted with his and he found himself intrigued by her. As per usual, he decided to bury his confusing thoughts by playing the piano. So without fail, Kousei would silently lose his friends during breaks in order to seclude himself in the music room. He needed to practice anyway, lest his mother discover him slacking off.

That was another facet of his life that was different from everyone else. Whereas everyone had loving families, all he had was his critical mother. It was his mother that first convinced him to play the piano. He had begun competing at a young age and under her tutelage, he reached greatness. However, ever since his beatings were exposed to the public, he had withdrawn from competing altogether. The name Arima faded into obscurity as he retreated from the public eye. Despite being the top competitor then, Kousei had decided that he needed peace from the prying eyes of the public. His mother was displeased with his decision but conceded, stating that he needed to lay low for a while. The beating had undoubtedly left a mark on him. Now he could no longer stomach the sight of competitions. The whispers of the onlookers would assail him from all sides and his limbs would lock up whenever he thought about it.

Despite not participating in competitions, his mother continuously mentored him in his playing. Kousei still felt the ghosting pains that ran up the length of his arms; rewards for the times he lacked in his musical prowess. Now, whenever he played, an image of his mother looming behind him would always plague his mind. The mantra would repeat itself in his head over and over: nothing short of perfection was acceptable.

Even with her condition, Saki Arima almost always found time to mentor him every second day of the week. Kousei came to dread these sessions. Guilt and pain would well up within him whenever he made a mistake. He took his mother's disappointment in him to heart and would strive to regain her approval by the time the next meeting swung around. One notable incident he had was when he first turned thirteen. He had forgotten to study an additional piece assigned by his mother and had nearly paid for it dearly. Saki had taken it as a personal slight. She had surmised that it was an indication of his rebellious nature finally rearing its ugly head as was typical of teenagers. She had drawn blood in her frustration at Kousei's shortcoming. He remembered bleeding from his head where her cane had hit him. Despite the abuse, he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault his mother was always angry. He had taken the beating quietly. He remembered his fingers shaking as they tried to play the piece. Drops of blood dripped unto his Steinway's ivory keys as he tried to focus on the piece in front of him. Ever since then, he learned the importance of focus and responsibility.

No one knew of the incident. He had decided to keep it from his friends. No one knew save he and his mother. Returning to the present, Kousei tried shaking off the memories that now flooded his mind. Now was not the time for reminiscing. He needed to practice. He was, however, destined to fail for a knock on the music room door interrupted him. Without waiting for an invitation, the door slid open and in strode Watari.

"Kousei, my man. Please tell me you're free this weekend" his friend started.

Merely raising his brow in response to his statement, he waited for Watari to elaborate for him.

"Kaori has this violin competition coming up and she wanted me and Tsubaki to attend. I need you there man. I can't be outnumbered by girls; besides I need a wingman." Grinning mischievously, he wiggled his eyebrows knowingly at Kousei.

"Let me get this straight. You need me to help you pick up cute girls?" he asked incredulously. "I may not be very perceptive, but even I know you're better off bringing a rock with you than having me as your wingman. As Tsubaki so colourfully put it last year, I have all the social grace of a beached whale."

The truth was he just couldn't stomach the atmosphere of a competition. It ground on his nerves as he remembered the surprised gasps and erupting whispers that followed his very public beating, years prior. Watari, however, would not let up one bit. He knew of his friend's troubles. He and Tsubaki had agreed that they would both try to convince Kousei to tag along just so he didn't waste away. The experience would also give him a chance to overcome his fear of crowds. They cared for their friend despite him being oblivious to how much they actually understood him.

Kousei was adamant in denying his presence at the competition. Despite his reasons, Watari pressed on. His situation didn't lighten, especially when Tsubaki barrelled in and practically ordered him to come with. Despite Kousei's misgivings about the event, his friends managed to weasel out a yes from him and promptly told him of when and where they would meet up. As Watari and Tsubaki left with victorious grins, Kousei let out a long sigh.

Here he was again. He had finally arrived at a crossroads in his troubled life. Did he dare venture forward? Was he prepared to face one of his worst fears? Staring at the reflective surface of the piano, he contemplated the reflection that stared back at him. He saw the dark circles underneath his eyes from the lack of sleep. He saw the pale face that his resulted from his refusal to eat until he perfected a piece. The tired looking visage looked so foreign yet familiar at the same time. In front of him was a boy forced to mature way beyond his years. Haunted eyes stared back at him. His broken soul reflected off of them. The sight broke him. After what seemed like ages, Kousei permitted himself to finally weep for everything he had lost.

 **Notes:**

 **I'm still trying to flesh out Tsubaki and Watari. Tsubaki and Kousei's close relationship (being childhood friends and all) will surface eventually. I just need to work it in properly.**

 **Regarding the abuse Kousei received, it is entirely possible to bleed from your head without suffering a concussion or needing stitches. This is from first-hand experience. Haha.**


End file.
